Rise of the Guardian: Ancient Allies
by Guardian of the crest
Summary: COMPLETED! And a new frind joins the gang. Plz R&R!
1. Default Chapter

  
  


I don't own Yu-gi-oh, but I do own all new characters introduced in this and other fanfics.

As for the First chap. of Rise of the Guardian, my friend posted that for me. 

This is my first fic, so please enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Chap2: A New Face, A New Challenge_

It was early the next morning when Yugi was awakened by the sound of Tea's yelling echoing in his bedroom. Yawning sleepily he walked to his window.

Yugi- "What's all the yelling about Tea?"

Tea- "Joey's gotten himself into another duel! And he's getting the snot beet out of him too!"

Yugi- "Why the heck did Joey challenge the guy?"

Tea- "I'm not even sure. This guy just came up to us and asked if we knew a Yugi Moto. Joey got this look in his eye like he wanted to fight, started spouting off, then challenged him to a duel."

Yugi- "What was Joey thinking?"

Tea- " I don't know, but we'd better hurry. He was losing pretty bad when I came to get you."

Across town a small crowd had gathered around that very duel, and many people anxiously awaited Joey's next move.

Joey- "Nice try pal, but now your going down. Now Jinzo, Attack!"

The ball of psychic energy hurdled towards Joey's mystery opponent. But instead of bracing for the attack he gave a little chuckle.

Stranger- "Child's play. Activate face down card, Reflection Force!"

At that moment, what seemed like hundreds of mirrors materialized all over the field pointing at different angles and directions. Jinzo's attack hit one of the mirrors, breaking it, but bouncing off in a different direction. 

Joey- "Huh? What's 'dat do?"

Stranger- "Its simple really. Your monster's attack is reflected off of these mirrors until it hits me, you, of your Jinzo."

Joey- "I don't like the sound of that."

Tristan who had been fighting his way through the crowd finally got through to Joey.

Tristan- "Don't give up Joey! You can still turn this thing around!"

But just then, Jinzo's attack hit another mirror and headed straight for its owner. It hit with tremendous force, decimating Jinzo.

Stranger- "Now that your Jinzo's out of the way, I'll play Tune of the Guardian Dragon!'

As he played the card, a small glint of light illuminated a crack in the middle of the stranger's duel disk. But Joey had hardly any time to think about it, for a far away tune settled on the field, and in the next instant, a huge black and gold dragon appeared on the field and gave an ear splitting roar that made everyone take a step back.

Stranger- " Now my Guardian Dragon, attack his life points directly with Armageddon Blast!"

A ball of fiery energy formed in the dragon's jaws, then was launched at breakneck speed.

The attack hit its mark dead-on, depleting the last of Joey's life points. The holograms disappeared and the stranger walked up to Joey.

Stranger- "Here."

He held out his hand to help Joey to his feet. Joey had a puzzled look on his face, as a thousand things ran through his mind.

Joey- " Aren't you going to take my rarest card?"

Stranger- " Nah. I like my deck the way it is. Now are you going to get up or just sit there looking like a fool?"

By the time Yugi and Tea had arrived the stranger was long gone and Joey was still pondering his duel.

Yugi- "What happened?"

Joey- "I got beat."

Tea- "Well we can see that, but what hap...... What's stuck in your duel disk?"

Joey- "What are you talking about?"

Tea- "There's a piece of paper stuck in your duel disk."

Sure enough, wedged into the arm slot of Joey's duel disk was a small piece of paper. Joey carefully unfolded the note and read it out loud.

Joey- "'Please forgive me for not making my intentions clear earlier, but I felt that it was necessary. If you do happen to run into Yugi tell him to meet me at Teton Ln. at sundown if he chooses to accept my challenge. I will await your decision by tomorrow.'"

Tristan- "Well at least he's polite."

Joey- "A little too polite. Somethin's up with this guy Yuge. I wouldn't duel him if I were you."

Tea- "So you want Yugi to back out of a challenge just because you were beat?"

Joey- "It's not like that Tea. There's just somethin' about him that I can't put my finger on."

Yugi- "Well I don't see the harm in just seeing what he wants."

Tea- "Then we at least have to go see Kaiba."

Joey- "What the hell for?"

Tea- "Don't be stupid, Kaiba Corp.monitors all duels in the city. If he used a duel disk, then chances are they have some info. on him.

Yugi- "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

  


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Well that's it for the second chapter. I know it's not the best but trust me it gets a lot better next chap.

P.S. : PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	2. A New Challenge, A New Way To Play

Hello. Ok so the last chapter was pretty boring, not to mention short. But I promise that this one will start to make things very interesting. Oh and sorry it's taken me soooooo long to get this up.

P.S. I don't own Yugioh.

_Chapter 3: A New Way to Play_

Joey- "Could Kaiba have possibly made his building headquarters any farther away?'

Tea- "Quit complaining. The building is right there."

The Kaiba Corp. building was huge and seemed to tower over every other building in the city. Out front typing away on his laptop was Kaiba's little brother, Mokuba.

Yugi- "Hey Mokuba!"

Mokuba- "Hey Yugi, what brings you to Kaiba Corp.?"

Yugi- "We came to see your brother. We need an I.D. on a mystery duelist."

Mokuba- "Seto's in a meeting right now, but I should be able to help you."

Joey- "Cool."

Mokuba- "Ok. When was his last duel, and who was it with?"

Joey- "His last duel was about an hour ago, and I was his last opponent."

Mokuba- "Ok. Hold on a sec, and the computer should bring up the stats on your last duel and we'll go from there."

The gang waited for a while, until Mokuba's computer gave a little ring.

Mokuba- "Well that's strange."

Yugi- "What?"

Mokuba- "I have the readout of 'Joey's last duel, but his opponent's name or stats don't appear. I can't figure out who he is."

Tea- "Don't you have any idea who he is?"

Mokuba- "No, there are too many people using duel disks to identify one person, because there stats don't show up."

Joey- "I wonder if there could be something wrong with his duel disk?"

Mokuba- "Why do you say that?"

Joey- "Well when he played a card, it looked like his duel disk had a big crack right in the middle of it."

Mokuba- "Why didn't you say so before?"

Joey- "I didn't think it was that important."

Mokuba- "No wonder he didn't show up!"

Tea- "Why?"

Mokuba- "Because he's not a duelist like Joey or Yugi.

Joey- "Hey wait a minute! How can someone wear a duel disk and not be a duelist?"

Tea, sarcastically- "You're a perfect example."

Joey- "Watch it."

Mokuba- "Well he is a duelist in a way. See Seto hired some people for the Battle City tournament to participate as Fusionists."

Tristan- "Oooook. You've lost me."

Mokuba- "See Fusionists would normally duel like you or me, until they draw their fusion card, once they do that, they must discard their entire hand and imeadatly play their fusion card. That activates the extra set of hologram projectors that display the card's form on the Fusionist, allowing them to 'fuse' with a card and enhance its abilities and vise versa."

Yugi- "Hold on that doesn't seem fair. If the duel goes on long enough, the fusionist would win because they still have half their deck, while we run out of cards."

Mokuba- "That's one of their duel disks special features. Once the hologram projectors are activated, their duel disk automatically discards one card per turn."

Joey- "But what about monsters And magic cards that have already been played?"

Mokuba- "They can still control those as well."

Tea- "You still haven't told us who this guy is yet."

Mokuba- "Oh yeah, Let's see.... Hmmm. Well that's not good."

Tristan- "What?"

Mokuba- "His duel disk I.D.'s him as Ace Cooper, and if I were you Yugi, I would seriously rethink about dueling this guy."

Yugi- "Why?"

Mokuba- "Because he ranks number one in the world as a fusionist, not to mention his fusion card is literally unstoppable."

Joey- "Well what is his so called unstoppable card?"

Mokuba- "It's called the Guardian of the Crest. It has so many different abilities, that it's almost impossible to list them all."

Tristan- "Hey wait a minute! Isn't he the same guy that won the World Martial Arts Tournament 15 years in a row?"

Joey- "Yeah! He set a new record!"

Tea looked over at Yugi who was lost deep in thought.

Tea- "Hey Yugi? Are you ok?"

Yugi- "Yeah. I'm just thinking. Hey thanks for the info Mokuba!"

Mokuba- "Anytime Yugi! And good luck! (Mumbling) You'll need it."

As Yugi and the gang were walking back towards the Game shop, Yugi seemed lost in his own head. Then from nowhere, came a soft and distant tune. It was faint at first, but seemed to grow louder as it settled around them. All of a sudden, Yugi took off in the direction that he thought the tune was coming from. It was almost as if he was being drawn towards it. As he was running, Yami made an appearance.

Yami- "So you heard it to?"

Yugi- "Yeah. I know this may sound erie, but I feel like I've heard that tune before."

Yami- "So have I. And it sounds like it's coming from up ahead."

Sure enough, as they drew closer to a small alleyway that tune grew louder.

Yami- "Yugi let me take over, at least until we know what's going on."

Yugi- "Alright. But just for now."

With a flash of the puzzle, Yami stood at the threshold of the alleyway, and cautiously peered around the corner. What he saw couldn't have been any further than from what he expected.

The scene that met his eyes was a joyous one. Two small children stood dancing around a younger man. He was roughly 5'11", and built like a tank. He wore a pair of blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a shabby blue jean jacket. His long blue-black hair was tied back into a pony tail, that wisped about his shoulders. But what really caught Yami's attention was his eyes. They were the most radiant color of sky blue that seemed to cast its own light. But the expression they held was like none other. They were filled with laughter and joy, and at the same time were sad and longing, as if he hadn't a friend in the world.

Boy-"Hey Ace, swing us again!"

Girl-"Yeah! That was fun!"

Man-" Do two ever tire out?!"

But in the end he grabbed the two playful youngsters and was spinning them around in circles until they were all laughing so hard that they could barley stand.

Man-" Alright you two settle down. Your mother will be home any minute now."

He gently stooped down and took the two kids into his arms. He walked over to a rather shabby shack and set the two on to a rickety old porch swing, and covered them up with a large quilt. The little girl looked sleepily up at the young man.

Girl, yawning-"Will you play us that song one more time?"

Man-"Sure."

With that he pulled out a small, round, wooden flute and began playing the same tune that had drawn Yugi and Yami here in the first place. Just then Joey and the others came running up.

Joey-"Hey! What's the big idea running off like that and leaving us behind?"

Yami-"Shhhhh. Joey, do recognize him?"

Joey-"Hey yeah! That's that Ace Cooper guy!"

Yami-" I thought so."

Tea-" You have to be kidding me. He looks too sweet to be the same guy that shook Mokuba up so badly"

Yami-" Looks can be deceiving, but right now I think I've seen enough."

Joey-"I hear that! I'll see you guys tomorrow! Meet me by the fountain! "

Tristan-" Sounds good. Well, I'd better get going too. See ya."

Tea-"Bye Tristan. Huh? Yugi? Are you ok?"

Yami was still staring at Ace. There was just something about him that the more Yami tried to remember the more he forgot.

Tea-"Yugi?"

Yugi switched back so as not to worry Tea. Yugi turned around and smiled.

Yugi-"I'm fine. We'd better get home before it gets too dark."

Tea-"Alright, but are you going to be ok?"

Yugi-"Yeah, I'm just a little nervous is all. I'll see you tomorrow!"

Ok, so it's still not the best, but this is my first fic. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this!

(More dueling in the next chap!)

!

P.S. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	3. A Rescue From the Shadows

Ok, I know I promised more dueling this chap, but it looks like it will have to wait one more. I'm sorry . Please don't hate me. There's still plenty going on though, so you guys won't get bored. Oh, and for those of you who don't like reading long fics, I suggest that you stop reading now. It's going to be a seven story series. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! R&R!!!!!!

_A Rescue From The Shadows_

That night Yugi had another dream. Except this one was more vivid than the last...

He was on an island again. The same one that those few survivors from his first dream had sought shelter. They were thriving again, but not for long. The sky was black as pitch, and the sea slick and oily. The birds and fish were long gone, fleeing from an unknown power. Suddenly, on the far side of the island, a young boy ,about 14, was rushing through the weeds to the heart of the island where a thriving city lay. A look of panic was on his face as he ran to warn the townspeople, of the same force that had drove the birds and fish away long ago....... He entered the town panicked and desperate. He pleaded with everyone who passed him by. The problem was, no one would listen. That is until a richly dressed girl appeared out of the hustling crowds of people trying to lock up before a storm hit. She rushed up to him, and tried to calm him down, but instead he grabbed her by the wrist and plunged back into the thick weeds and ran back the way he came.

As they arrived on a small beach seven young dragons bounded up to meet them, but he was in to much of a panic to notice. A small raft waited on the secluded beach. A sturdy mast was fixed to it, along with several other items, A beautiful jeweled sword topped the pile. The young dragons sat on the beach, as the boy helped the girl on to the raft he whispered something in her ear before pushing the raft out to sea. Only when he was waist deep in water did he let go of the raft. The sail unfurled and was caught by a quickly rising wind, and was soon out of sight over the horizon.

The boy was soon back on shore, and all seven dragons back at his side. One of them, with black and gold markings had another sword, even more brilliant than the first, handed it to its master. The boy took it then hopped on to the back of the dragon, cast one last fearful glance towards the sea , then took off for the city once again. The mood in the city this time however was vastly different. People were scared and confused. Then out of nowhere, a swirling black portal opened, and from its black depths emerged the same beast that destroyed the flourishing civilization, that's people now colonized this island. The city was in complete chaos. Buildings were ablaze, and people fell in the streets, when from nowhere seven blasts hit the behemoth head on. It roared in pain and rage. But then through the smoke there was a flash of metal, and the boy's sword sliced through a piece of the giant's armor. He was about to circle around to make another strike, when he was caught by the beast's armored gauntlet and sent plunging to the ground along with his dragons leaving the city at the mercy of the monster.

The boy awoke hours later, to a wrenching pain in his left shoulder. It had been split open, and was bleeding badly. The pain made him dizzy, but he staggered to his feet to see what was left of the once proud city. Nothing. It was like waking up in a horror scene. Buildings were smoldering piles of rubble. Fires still covered the city. The dragons behind him began to stir, and one of them kicked his sword, causing it to make a loud clatter. The second the boy saw the sword his eyes lit up in pure horror. Ignoring the stabbing pain in his shoulder, he ran to the shoreline and scanned the waters for any sign of a familiar raft and its precious cargo. He began calling out over the waves, and at first yugi couldn't make out what he was saying. Then he realized the boy was calling HIS name!

Yugi awoke in his own room to his grandfather shaking him awake.

Grandpa-" Yugi! Wake Up!"

Yugi-"What is it?"

Grandpa-"You're supposed to be meeting your friends at the park in a half an hour."

Yugi-"Oh no! I'll see you later Grandpa!"

As Yugi was running down the street, Yami made an appearance.

Yami-"That must have some dream you had last night."

Yugi-"Why do you say that?"

Yami-"You were tossing and turning, and in a cold sweat most of the night."

Yugi-"Well I did have another dream last night, and I think they have something to do with this upcoming duel."

Yami-"Why?"

Yugi-"Because they've been getting stronger the closer it gets to this duel."

Yami-"Well ask the others what they think. We're almost to the fountain."

But as luck would have it, Yugi never got a chance to ask that question, for something came up that none of them would have expected..........

Tristan-"Hey Yugi!"

Yugi-" Hey Tristan. Hey Joey. What's up?"

Joey-"Nothin'. Hey wait a sec. Where's Tea?"

Yugi-"I thought she would be with you guys."

Tristan-"She was but then she got bored and then went to go get you."

Yugi gave Tristan a puzzled look.

Joey-"You mean she's not with you?! Oh man, we got to go find her before something bad happens to her!"

Meanwhile, halfway across town, Tea was already in trouble. When she left Joey and Tristan she decided to take a shortcut to Yugi's. Unfortunately, that shortcut took her through the worst part of town and now she had been cornered in an alleyway by two rough looking characters.

Mugger1-"Well look what we got here."

Mugger2-"A pretty little girl and her purse. This should be fun......"

The second character took a few more steps closer to Tea and pulled out a knife. Up til then Tea had been frozen with fear, but when it finally sunk in what these two could, and probably would, do she began to scream for help.

Tea-"HELP ME!!! SOMEBODY HELP!!!!!!"

But Tea's help would be the last person she expected. A few blocks away, Ace was walking around heading towards an unknown destination. He still had a few hours left to kill before his duel, so he had decided to get little exercise, when Tea's cries for help reached his ears. He broke out into a dead run in an instant, praying he wouldn't be too late...

Mugger1-"Damn girl. She's going to have half the town out here if you don't shut her up."

Mugger2-"Not a problem."

He took a few steps closer to Tea, when a voice in the shadows echoed in the narrow alleyway.

Voice-"Get away from her you slime ball."

Mugger1-"Who's there?"

Ace then stepped into the light, hands jammed into his pockets in a cocky sort of way.

Ace-"I said, leave her alone."

Mugger2-"Looks like we got ourselves a hero."

Mugger1-"We're going to make you regret the day you were born."

Ace only smiled slyly.

Ace-"I'd like to see you try."

The two muggers charged Ace with the intention of beating the crap out of him and worse. But as they threw two bone crushing blows straight towards Ace's face, Ace ducked and delivered two lightning fast punches to the muggers' gut, sending them flying into the wall behind Tea. Ace walked past Tea and made sure he hadn't hurt them too badly, then turned to Tea

Ace-"Are you ok?"

Tea who had not quite realized that she was out of danger screamed and swung her purse at Ace's jaw. He was annoyed, but nothing more. He turned his back on her and began to walk out of the alley.

Ace-"Your safe now, and your friends should be here any minute."

Tea watched him walk away. She wanted to call after him, but she was frozen to the spot. It wasn't until she heard the familiar voices of her friends did she snap out of it and run to her worried friends.

All-"Tea!!!"

Yugi-"God Tea, are you ok?"

Tea looked up at Yugi and burst into tears as she told the whole story. Joey was quite amused at the mention of Tea hitting Ace in the jaw with her purse.

Joey-"So what do you have in there, bricks?"

Tea didn't respond, instead she opened her purse and dumped out its contents. And mixed in with the usual make-up, cell phone, and small change, were the shattered remains of a large brick. Needless to say, no one was still smiling. Tea looked up at Yugi with tears in her eyes once again.

Tea-"I have had one in there ever since Marik kidnaped us...... You can't duel him Yugi he's too strong, he didn't even flinch, he's too strong......"

Joey-"I knew he was a tank..... but this....this is insane. I know how hard Tea hits. And it's enough to make even the toughest guy on the streets buckle, and a brick and........"

But Yugi was in a different world now. He now had a glimpse at how strong this guy was, and he wanted to duel him even more badly now. He couldn't explain it but, well it was exciting.

He kept his feelings to him self as he comforted Tea there on the street, silently waiting for sundown to arrive.

So what do you think? I tried to give you an idea of Ace's personality, not to mention his strength. A better idea of what he's like in the next chap. And this time I swear on my honor as a fan fic writer, that there will be dueling in the next chap!!!!!!!!! Please Review!!!!!!!!!


	4. The Titans Clash

Finally!!! Let the dueling begin!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: Ido not own yugioh. But I do own Ace!!!!!! Not to mention all of the new cards introduced in this and my other fics. Oh by the way I just figured out that you do the slash marks for Yami and Yugi conversation, but since I'm kinda far along, It will have to wait until my next story. Oh and one more thing, on some of the cards I'm not completely sure of the Atk and Def points. Sorry. :( One more thing, some people are getting confused. If you want to understand this story at all, you have to read the first chapter by soulofeternity. Thanx! -! You're all probably tired of me talking by now but there's one more thing you need to know that I didn't put in my fic. If the fusionist is destroyed then they lose the duel.

Ace: Just start the story.........

_ Chapter 4: The Titans Clash_

The rest of the afternoon was pleasantly spent. But as night began to approach, tension in the group began to rise.

Joey-"Yuge. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Yugi-"Yes. I can't explain why, but I can't wait to duel this guy."

Everyone gave each other puzzling looks.

Yugi-"Listen I know it sounds weird, but to be honest... well, I hope he's as strong as all of you say he is."

Tristan-"I don't think it sound weird at all. At least not for you anyway."

Joey-" I don't get where you're going with this pal......"

Tristan-"Think about it. Yugi's never backed down from a duel. No matter how bad it looked. And he's always come out on top. I think it's only natural that by this time the thought of a powerful opponent would only be another challenge to Yugi, if you know what I'm saying........"

Tea-"Tristan's right. Yugi's always won no matter how tough the fight, and I know he'll win this one too."

Joey-"Well then, what are we waiting around here for? Let's show that Ace Cooper what our little buddy can do!"

It wasn't long before they reached the alleyway where Yugi's duel would be held. However, when they did reach the street, they found it empty and deserted.

Joey-"I don't get it. Where is the guy?"

Ace-"I'm right here."

Everyone jumped as he stepped out of the shadows behind them.

Ace-"Yugi Muto and friends, I presume?"

At this point Yami took over.

Yami-"Yes. And if you don't mind me asking, why did you challenge me to a duel?"

Ace-"I only wish to pit my skills against that of the great King of Games."

Yami-"Then before we do, I want to be sure that no harm will come to my friends."

Ace-"That I can promise you."

Yami jammed his deck into his duel disk, and activated the projectors. Ace followed the same suit.

Yami-" Then let's duel!"

The hologram projectors were quickly dispatched, the scores reset, and the duel was underway. The two opponents glared at each other from across the field, as each awaited the move the other would make. Yami drew a card and added it to his hand then started off the duel.

Yami-"I'll start with Celtic Guardian(Atk:1400 Def:1200) in attack mode, and to finish, I'll set one card face down. It's your move."

Ace-" Then I'll summon Warrior Dai Grepher(Atk:1700 Def:1600) in attack mode as well. Then I'll place two cards face down to end my turn."

Yugi, thinking-" Hmm. This guy must be preparing to play his fusion card, but if I lure him into attacking, maybe I can wipe him out before he draws it."

Yami-" First I'll summon Beta the Magnet Warrior(Atk:1400 Def:1600) in defense mode and end my turn."

Ace grinned as he pulled a card.

Ace-" I'll play Neo the Magic Swordsman (Atk:1700 Def:1000) as well, then I'll play two more cards face down. Now Warrior Dai Grepher attack his Celtic Guardian!"

Yami-" Heh, You've fallen into my trap. Reveal face down card, Mirror Force! Now your attack will be sent bact to where it came from!"

Ace simply laughed.

Ace-" Activate Final Sacrifice!"

Yami-" Final Sacrifice? What does that do?"

Ace-" Final Sacrifice allows me to use one of my own monsters to block the attack, for the price of 500 life points."

Yami-" Then that means your warrior...."

Ace-" Is spared."

The reflected attack hurdled toward Ace's swordsman and destroyed it with all of Ace's life points intact.

Joey-"Aww man, if Yugi can't get at this guys life points then he's done for!"

Yugi, thinking-" Joey's right! I have to beat him before he draws his fusion card, unless I can play my Egyptian God first. But what kind of power would I be unleashing?"

Ace-" It's your move! I came to duel the King of Games, not to take a nap!"

Tea-" Be quiet! You wouldn't know a good duel if it hit you in the face!"

Ace-" Are you apologizing?"

Tea-" uhmmmmm......."

Yami-" Leave my friends out of this duel!"

Ace-" Whatever."

Yami-" I'll set my Beaver Warrior in defense mode and end my turn."

Ace-" I'll summon Blackland Fire Dragon (Atk:1500 Def:800) in attack mode, then set my last two cards face down. Give me your best shot."

Yami-" As you wish. I'll sacrifice my Beaver Warrior and Celtic Guardian to summon the Dark Magician (Atk:2500 Def:2100)!"

Yami was about to call an attack when he saw Ace's face down cards.

Yugi, thinking-" Those face down cards could be part of a trap to destroy my Dark Magician, so I'll just set my Book of Secret Arts and Magical Hats face down just in case."

Yami-" And to finish my turn, I'll set two cards face down on the field."

Ace-" Humph. Typical."

Yami-" What are you talking about?"

Ace closed his eyes and shook his head.

Ace-" Your two face down cards are Book of Secret Arts and Magical Hats. You'd think after 3000 years your dueling style would have changed a little."

Tristan-" How did you know that?!"

Ace-" Please, how could I not know the style of the person who taught me this game?"

Shock was the feeling the whole group shared.

Tea-" Yugi taught you how to play Duel monsters?"

Ace-" No. It was the Pharaoh who taught me the shadow games."

Yami's eyes widened with surprise, while ace's only fell with disappointment.

Ace-" I see you don't remember. It's easy to forget after 3000 years I suppose."

Ace let out a sigh as the whole group exchanged quizzical glances.

Ace-" Friends, family they all seem to fade with time. Those who can forget are lucky. The past is full of so many memories I wish I could forget........"

Yami at this point, could have sworn he seen a tear forming in Ace's eye. But when he looked up there was no trace of one.

Ace-" But I'm babbling and our duel is underway."

But just as Ace stopped speaking a fleeting image danced before Yami's eyes. A young man, seven dragons, rejoicing people.......

Ace-" It's my move so I'll play a magic card, Tune of the Guardian Dragon!"

A small, roundish flute appeared on the field. It was suddenly seized by Ace's warrior who immediately began to play the same tune that Ace had been playing the night before....... Through the music that began to settle on the field ace began to speak.

Ace-" By sacrificing one dragon type monster on my side of the field, I can summon one of the most powerful and ancient dragons in duel monsters!"

Ace's Blackland Fire dragon disappeared and was replaced by a huge dragon with black and gold stripes and a wild look in its eye. It stretched its massive wings and gave a roar of rage to the sky.

Ace-" Behold, Kyadreon the Guardian Dragon (Atk:2500 Def:1800)

Joey-" Hey! That's the same combination he used to wipe me out!'

Tea-" Be carful Yugi!"

Ace-" And to end my turn, I'll set one card face down."

Yugi, thinking-" That's the same dragon I saw in my dream!"

Yami, thinking-" Maybe so, but we'll have to worry about that later."

Yami-" I'll set one card in defense mode, and one card face down. It's your move"

Ace drew a card and a smirk spread across his face.

Ace-" It's over."

Yami-" Then I'll assume you've drawn your fusion card."

Ace-" Yeah, now behold the power of the Guardian!"

A small slot in his duel disk opened up and Ace placed the Guardian card inside. A second arm slot unfolded, and Ace quickly slipped his arm inside as the two halves of the duel disk parted in a flash of light.

Computer voice-" Fusion hologram projectors activated."

When the light dimmed, a proud warrior stood before them. (Atk:2000 Def:1700) He wore light armor, and a small pendant hung from his neck. Yami stared at him. Now that the Guardian card had been played it almost seemed like this was who Ace truly was........

Yami-" You may have gotten your Guardian card on to the field, but you're still weaker than my Dark Magician!"

The Guardian cocked his eyebrow. _(I'm going to refer to Ace as the Guardian as long as his fusion card is in play)_

Guardian-" Am I?"

Yami-" We'll find out soon enough. Dark Magician attack the Guardian with Dark Magic attack!"

The attack charged forward with incredible speed until it was inches from its target, then all at once the Guardian jumped out of the way and disappeared

Joey-" Hey! Where'd he go?!?!". __

Tristan-" His dragon's gone too!"

Guardian-" Up here."

Everyone looked up, and silhouetted against the sky was the dragon Ace had played earlier, except this time it had a rider..... The dragon swooped down and hovered over its side of the field.

Yugi, thinking-" He dodged the attack!!!"

Guardian-" Now do you understand why I played my dragon earlier?"

Yami-" Yes. You can use your monsters to your own advantage."

Guardian-" Precisely, now it's my turn and I'll attack your defense monster with raging thunder!"

The Guardian jumped off of the dragon at a height that would be appropriate for a kamikaze attack. A ball of glowing energy between his hands as he brought them to his side. As he hurdled closer, the defense card revealed itself as the Giant Solider of Stone (Atk:1300 Def:2000).

Joey-" Alright!"

Tristan-" What's the celebration for? Yugi's going to lose another monster!"

Joey-" Maybe so, but the Giant Soldier of Stone's defense points and the guardian's Attack points are the same, so the battle will end in a stalemate, both monsters will be destroyed, including the Guardian, which means Yugi will win!"

But the Guardian had other plans, and just before he made contact, he fired the attack and jumped away. The attack hit its mark with such force that it took a minute for the dust to clear. However when it did clear, the guardian still stood tall.

Yami, shocked-" Why weren't you destroyed? That attack should have ended in a stalemate!"

Guardian-" True, but because I jumped I gave the attack extra force and power."

Yami-" So, you can manipulate your attacks too."

Guardian-" You bet."

Yami-"It's my move."

Yami drew a card.

Yugi, thinking-" Yes it's my Egyptian God Card!"

But as soon as he drew the card, Kyadreon, who had been glaring at the Dark Magician, looked straight at Yami and gave a low growl as if he knew what card he had just drawn. The Guardian shot Kyadreon a questioning look as yami made his play.

Yami-" First I'll use Monster Reborn to bring back my Celtic Guardian, then play Mystical Elf in Defense mode. Can you predict what I'm going to do next?"

Guardian-" Do I need to?"

Yami-" Reveal face down card, Swords of Revealing Light!"

Swords rained from the sky and covered the Guardian's side of the field. The guardian was doing his best to try and side step the falling swords, but one caught him off guard and caught his arm where there was no armor. He winced in pain as it passed. Yami was surprised to see the cut on his arm begin to bleed.

Guardian-" Clever move. What next?"

Yami-" This. First I'll sacrifice my Celtic Guardian and Magnet Warrior to summon my Buster Blader (Atk:2600 Def:2300)! Then I'll play Polymerization and fuse it and my Dark Magician together to create the Dark Paladin (Atk:3600 Def: I have no clue....)! And because you have a dragon on the field my attack power is boosted by 500 points!"

Joey-" Alright! Yugi's practically unstoppable!"

Guardian-" Just because your friend has a powerful card on the field doesn't mean that he's won the duel."

Tea-" Sounds like you're scared!"

Guardian-" You don't know the first thing about fear, but because I can't attack it's your turn."

Yugi, thinking-" This guy's got ice in his blood. He must have one more trick up his sleeve."

Yami-" Since you can't attack, I'll draw two cards and play Feral Imp and Silver fang in defense mode. Now the swords of revealing light disappear and it's your move."

Guardian, thinking-" Great. He's got a Dark Paladin on the field, and judging by the way Kyadreon's acting, an Egyptian God in his hand."

Guardian-" I pass this turn."

Joey-" Looks like you're giving up!"

Yugi, thinking-" that's certainly what it looks like...."

Yami-" You've put up a good fight, but it's over! Dark Paladin Attack!"

The Paladin sprung forward with incredible force, its attack aimed straight at the Guardian.

Guardian-" Activate Tecatsu the Dragon Fang!"

A brilliant sword appeared in the Guardian's hand, and flashed in the dying light of the afternoon sun. There was a brilliant flash, and the sound of clashing metal. The two warriors stood locked in battle. Even though the Guardian had been almost 200 points behind, his new weapon had boosted his strength considerably. He was doing a fairly good job holding his own, but was slowly giving way due to the injury on his left arm. Yami's gut suddenly lurched. He couldn't keep this up much longer. Hologram or not, he was getting hurt and this duel was taking a serious toll on the Guardian. Yami would have given up, if the Guardian hadn't turned things around.

Instead of continuing to resist, the guardian fell back on to his shoulders and delivered a powerful kick that sent the Paladin flying. The Guardian staggered back to his feet, clearly exhausted.

Joey-" Ya' know I've got to hand it to this guy. He ain't given' up without a fight."

Guardian-" I........pass..........Do.........your.......worst..."

Yami-" But......"

Yami caught the Guardian's glance. He was about ready to drop dead, but his eyes still held the same determined look they had from the start.

Guardian-" Well? What are you waiting for?"

Yami-" I play Griffor in attack mode_(these don't have atk and def because there not going to do any thing.)_

Joey-" Alright Yugi! One more turn and you can summon your Egyptian god card!"

Yugi-" Yes, but what kind of danger would I be putting the Ace in? So far the monsters I've played are nothing compared to Slyfer and he's some how hurt. What should I do........."

Guardian-" Don't worry about it."

Yami-" What?"

Guardian-" I can see it in your eyes that your conflicting whether or not to play your Egyptian god. If I were afraid to face it, then I wouldn't of challenged you in the first place."__

Tea-" Wow. He reminds me so much of Yugi. (Flashbacks of Yugi's duels) The way he never gives up and keeps fighting, no matter what the odds.__

Yami-" Fine. Since you think you can take on an Egyptian god, I'll grant your wish. I'll sacrifice my Feral Imp, Silver Fang, and Griffor to summon Slyfer the Sky Dragon!"

No sooner was the card played did the sky grow dark and the massive Egyptian god descended from the sky. Everyone was stunned, save Yami and the Guardian, even though they had seen this incredible beast before. The wild look in Kyadreon's eye came back stronger than ever as Slyfer took its place on the field. Kyadreon gave him a roar of rage to let the Egyptian god know that his presence was not wanted.

Guardian-" Knock it off Kyadreon."

But the Guardian felt the same way. Slyfer had to go.

Yami-" Because I have 4 cards in my hand Slyfer gains 4000 Attack points. 1000 for each card in my hand."

Guardian-" Nothing new."

Yami-" What do you mean?"

Guardian-" (sigh) I guess your memory does fade fast. Remember I said you taught me the Shadow Games, something Duel Monsters hasn't been called in over 3000 years, a time when these Egyptian gods ravaged across the planet. Except then they weren't holograms, they were real. And their power was a force to be reckoned with."

Yugi, thinking-" He sure knows an awful lot....."

Yami-" It's my move. And I'll use it to end this duel. Now Slyfer attack the Guardian And end this duel!"

Guardian-" Now Kyadreon!"

Before Slyfer could complete his attack, Kyadreon launched one of his own, Making Slyfer recoil in pain and halt the attack in its track. But in the confusion, the guardian had once again slipped away. Suddenly, there was the sound of drawing steel to the side of Slyfer. Yami, much to his surprise, heard the somewhat familiar sound at the same time as the Egyptian god, and saw Slyfer whip his tail out at the Guardian with rage ensued lighting speed. The Guardian hit the ground with a sickening thud and lay motionless as Kyadreon rushed over to his side. The dragon gently nuzzled his master, and when he made no move, Kyadreon charged Slyfer. Big mistake. The God simply swatted the dragon away as if he were no more than a mere toy. The dragon landed unconscious just as the guardian began to struggle to his feet. Yami stood frozen. Here before him was a man that did not know the meaning of defeat. He simply would not stay down. He had felt Slyfer's wrath and now seemed more determined than ever to beat the God that loomed before him. The Guardian rose painfuly to his feet.

Yami-" How are you still standing? You took a direct blow from Slyfer and you're still standing."

Guardian-" Heh. Just before Slyfer hit me I activated a magic card called, Endurance, which allows any monster stronger than I to attack 3 times before I'm destroyed. It hurts, but it will keep me in the game."

Yami, thinking-" No wonder he's the Martial Arts champion,..... He's taken a blow from Slyfer and still wants to continue."

The Guardian stood on the other side of the field trying to collect himself and figure out his next move when a strange presence settled around him, and a strong hatred of the Egyptian god began to grow. But why he did not understand.

Guardian, thinking-" There's only been one thing I've ever hated like this in my life. But could Slyfer......"

Joey-" Come on! Make your move already! We came to see a duel, not a chess match!"

Yami however was not paying attention to his friend. Instead he was watching the Guardian. It was like there was something in side his mind that was trying to surface, but couldn't. Like the harder you think about something, the more you forget.

Yugi-" You ok?"

Yami, thinking-" I'm not sure. Ace, the Guardian.......his determination, he himself seems so familiar, but where have I seen him before? Could it be true about what he said?"

At that moment things went from bad to worse. Slyfer's eye caught the Pharaoh staring at the Guardian, and how or why, the god did not want the ancient king to remember who this stranger was. So, slyfer launched an attack at the unconscious Guardian Dragon. At the same instant, the Guardian broke out of his daze, and rushed to defend his dragon. The results were disastrous. The to titans attacks met in a clash of raw power and flashing steel, that split the God's attack in half buying time for the dragon to escape. And for a second it seemed as if the Guardian would come out on top, but Slyfer just unleashed more power into the attack, sending the Guardian's sword flying out of his hands, and striking the Guardian with the full force of the attack. The impact sent the Guardian and his dragon flying to opposite sides of the field. When the smoke cleared the guardian was laying face down in the dirt, struggling in and out of consciousness and obviously in a lot of pain. The brilliant armor he was wearing at the beginning was dirty and broken. His clothes shredded, and body decorated with bad cuts and bruises as a result of his battle with Slyfer. But through it all, his eyes were unchanged, still set with the strong determination to defeat the monster that loomed before him. The Guardian had made it to his knees when he finally lost consciousness.

At that moment, Slyfer saw his opportunity to rid himself of this persistent warrior, and began to launch one, final attack. Yami now saw the true nature of the danger the Guardian was now in.

Yami-" Slyfer! Stop!"

But the god paid no attention to Yami, or anything else for that matter. The only thing that mattered was the destruction of the unconscious warrior at his feet. Before Slyfer launched his attack, Two small familiar children rushed out from the shadows and on to the field in front of the Guardian. The young boy stood with his arms out wide trying to shield the Guardian, while the girl tried to shake his battered form awake.

Girl-" Get up Ace! You're gonna get hurt!"

Slyfer was about ready to launch his attack, when Tea rushed out on to the field.

Yami-" Tea!"

Joey-" Tea are you nuts!!!! Get out of there before you get hurt!"

Tea-" Kids, we have to leave now!"

Boy-" But what about Ace....."

At that moment Slyfer Launched his attack with a deadly aim, as the three stood petrified with fear. Then out of nowhere all of them, including the Guardian, were scooped up and into the air by Kyadreon in the nick of time.

Tea-" Where did you come from!?!?!?!"

The dragon snorted his reply, then gave a taunting roar to Slyfer. The noise woke the Guardian. It only took him a moment to realize what had happened and when he realized the danger that Slyfer had put three innocent people in because of him only added to his fury even more. He took a flying leap off of the dragon's back and dashed for his sword. Slyfer slashed at him only to realize that he had disappeared. Ace reappeared in midair then broadsided Slyfer, hard, then grabbed on to his neck and held on. Slyfer instantly started thrashing, in an attempt to throw off his rider. Yami stared in disbelief as his memory finally surfaced. He knew only one man that would ever be foolish enough to even dare to hold on to the neck of the god.

Yami-" Katon!"

The Guardian whipped around at the mention of a name he had not used for so long. A slight smile spread across his face in the midst of the fray.

Guardian, thinking-" I guess friendships do last forever....."

Suddenly Slyfer lurched, catching the Guardian off guard and threw him to the ground. Then the God launched another attack, and all the Guardian could do was put up his arms and try to defend himself. The force of the attack began to drive the Guardian's feet into the ground. The Guardian looked hurriedly around for a way to finish the duel before Slyfer finished him.

Guardian-" Pharaoh! Attack my warrior with your Paladin!!!"

Yami-" But that means you'll lose the duel!"

Guardian-"Some things are more important than winning!"

Yami, thinking-" Some things never change....."

Yami-" I'll play Spellbinding Circle, and lower your monster's attack points by 700! Now Dark Paladin, attack his warrior with Dark Blade Slash and end this duel!"

Yami's Paladin charged and destroyed the Warrior Dai Greffor with one, swift stroke bringing The Guardian's life points down to zero. The Hologram merciful disappeared quickly, along with Slyfer. Ace, now rid of his hologram exterior dropped to his knees, as the others, including the two children rushed over. Ace managed a weary smile.

Ace, weakly-" Some duel, eh Yami?"

Yami shook his head and returned the reply with a rare smile.

Yami-" That's Pharaoh to you, my friend."

YAY!!!!! I FINALLY FINISHED IT!!!!!!!! Sorry it's taken so long but this will probably be the last chap for a while. Any way I hope you liked it, and thanks to all who reviewed...... PLZ R&R!!!!!!!!!!


	5. Rush for help

Disclaimer: Ok we all know that I do not own Yugioh, but wouldn't mind if I did.

I would like to thank my friend for helping me with the last chap, and I look forward to writing this one.

_Chapter 5: The Rush for Help_

Ace found it harder and harder to stay awake. The duel had taken more out of him than he had expected.

Joey-" I don't get it. Why's he all beat up like that?"

Ace, weakly-" The Fusionist's duel disk is built differently than yours. Ours had no safeties on them. So we feel every thing that happens to us, just as if the monsters we were fighting were real. I suppose it's Kaiba's way of whittling out the weak from the strong...."

Suddenly Ace's body gave out and he finally collapsed. His breath came in short ragged gasps.

Yami-" We have to get him to a hospital. We have no idea how bad he's really hurt, but him passing out doesn't help."

Tristan-" That's great and all, but the nearest hospital is almost 15 miles away. I had to take the train when I went to pick up Serenity after her surgery."

Joey-" And how would we get him there anyway?"

Yami picked him up by one shoulder and slung Ace's arm around his neck.

Tristan-" You're not going to carry him all the way to the hospital are you?"

Yami-" I will if I have to."

Joey-" What about Kaiba Corp.?"

Tea-" Ummm, Joey last I checked Kaiba Corp. Was a major gaming company. Not a hospital."

Tristan-" Besides Kaiba hates you. Why would he even think about helping you?"

Joey-" Well first off, remember on the Battle City blimp? Kaiba said his doctors were even better than the ones in most hospitals. And I'm not saying he'll help us, but it's at least worth a try and a lot better than dragging this guy 15 miles to the Domino City Hospital."

Yami-" Joey's right _(W_ow_! Never thought I'd say that!!!)_"

Tristan-" What about the kids? I doubt that their mom is going to be to happy about total strangers bringing them home."

Boy-" Don't worry about that. Just help Ace. Please Help him......."

Yami looked into the young boy's tear filled eyes and nodded his head with a slight smile.

Yami-" We'll make sure nothing will happen to him. You have my word."

Joey-" I'm coming with you Yuge. You'll need some help getting him to Kaiba Corp."

Tea-" Then we'll meet you at Kaiba's as soon as we can."

Yami-" Right."

Ok, extremely short chap I know, but that's kinda the way it turned out. Besides I'll be able to finish it this way I think hope you enjoyed it!!!!!! PLZ REVIEW!!!!!!


	6. Kaiba Corp or Bust!

Ok, no one has to tell me that the last chap was incredibly lame but in my opinion I like the next story in the Rise of the Guardian series a lot better than this one. My fav is the seventh tho.... Yes I do have them written already, well most of them, it's just the typing I have a hard time with. Well now on with the story!

Ace: What happens in the seventh story that you like so much, hm?

GOTC: (short for my name in case you couldn't guess....) Whispers something in Ace's ear

Ace: eyes widen WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

GOTC: And as for you loyal fans out there you'll just have to wait until I get it posted, but I promise if you do stick around that long, you'll be in for the conclusion of a lifetime and you have my word as an author on that!

Ace: Then on with the story. No she does not own Yugioh, unfortunately I am her slave for life.

GOTC: Shut up you..... And now for the pain! -!

_Chapter 6: Kaiba Corp_._ Or Bust!_

Yami and Joey were about read to collapse under the weight of their injured friend. It had been almost an hour since Ace had passed out from his injures and Yami and Joey had started their long trek to Kaiba Corp. where they hoped to find help. But would they make it in time? Yami may not have remembered everything from his days as a Pharaoh in Egypt, but he could tell by Ace's struggled breathing that he was getting worse with each step they took. Yami shot a worried glance down at Ace, as his eye caught a small crest that now dangled around his neck. He felt a strange, yet ancient power deep within the finely crafted pendant. But no matter what power it held, Yami had one task ahead of him. He had to reach Kaiba Corp. and pray that they could help.......

They young boy led Tea and Tristan through a winding maze of narrow paths and dark alleyways. His sister close by his side with the teens bringing up the rear.

Tristan-" Wow. It's so dark I can barely see my hand in front of my face. Are you sure you know where you're going?"

Boy-" Yes. We have to take this way though or we might run into some of the gangs that hang around this area."

Girl-" N-no we wouldn't."

She was still crying a little from when Ace had collapsed.

Girl-" Ace s-scared em' away. He said they wouldn't be back."

Boy-" Yeah I know... but this ways still safer."

Tea-" You guys really look up to him don't you?"

The little girl looked up at Tea with big eyes.

Girl-" He's our best friend."

Boy-" I hope he's ok......"

After nearly an hour of struggling, the weary group was finally in sight of Kaiba Corp's main headquarters. As they worked their way up the steps, they saw Kaiba and Mokuba closing the place up for the night. A pang hit Yami in the stomach. What if there was no one left to help? Then what?

Joey, panting-" Hey Kaiba!!!"

Seto whipped around at the mention of his name to see the small band at the foot of the last flight of steps. Yugi and the Dog were a mess, and he had no idea that was they were carrying.

Seto-" Beat it Wheeler."

Yami-" Kaiba please we need your help... He's hurt and needs medical attention immediately."

Seto looked at Yami then at the unconscious figure he was trying to hold up. His eyes narrowed as he turned back to the door."

Joey-" Dammit Kaiba! This guy needs help! And all you're going to do is turn us away?!"

Just then the door swung open.

Seto-" I'm not giving him ambulance service to the door. So I suggest you get him in here before I change my mind."

Yami nodded his head in understanding and began to move Ace inside. Mokuba rushed down to help as Seto began to get things ready. He pressed a small button on his collar.

Seto-" I need every available doctor down here immediately and a room ready to receive a patient, A.S.A.P.'

Voice-" Yes Mr. Kaiba, right away"

_(This is what I'm doing from now on for P.O.V. changes)_

Boy-" We're almost there."

Tristan-" Hey kid, what's your name?"

Boy-" My name's Danny, and this is my little sister Anna."

Tea-"Nice to meet you Danny and Anna. I'm Tea and this is Tristan."

Danny-" There it is!"

Up ahead of them was the same little shack, where they had gotten their first real look at Ace. On the porch, was a young woman pacing back and forth.

Anna-" Mommy, Mommy!"

The woman looked up from here pacing to see the group emerge from the shadows, and scooped her two children up into her arms as they ran up to her."

Woman-" Oh thank God you two are safe..."

Anna-" We' ok Mommy, we were with Tea and Tristan the whole time."

The woman looked up at the two teens standing awkwardly in the alley.

Woman-" Thank you for bringing them home, but where's Ace."

Tea-" It's a long story.."

Woman-" Then come inside, it's dangerous to be out here too long after dark."

After they had gotten inside it was hard to keep track of everything that was going on. The doctors had taken Ace from Joey and Yami and laid him on a stretcher while they gave him a quick examination. A lot of what they were saying wasn't making sense, but a few things they said hit Yami like a bombshell. Cardiac arrest. Respiratory failure. And no sooner had those words been spoken, Ace was whisked away into a room they had prepared. Yami and Joey followed, but Seto stopped them at the door

Seto-" You two wait here. It might be better if you're not in there right now."

There was a worried look in Seto's eyes, not they same confident expression he always wore.

Yami-" Kaiba."

Seto-" Hm..?"

Yami-" Thank you."

Seto sighed.

Seto-" If he lives, then you can thank me. Until then sit tight and we'll do what we can...."

Tea-" So that's what happened and we're about your husband, Mrs..."

Woman-" Oh no, Ace isn't my husband. He takes care of the children while I go to work. I hardly know anything else about him, and you can call me Sarah. "

Tea-" So you don't know where Ace is from? What he does? Anything?"

Sarah sadly shook her head.

Sarah-" No. We know very little about him or his past. Just how we met him and everything after that."

Tristan-" How'd you meet him?"

Sarah-" He was hurt, walking down the alley in a daze. The children saw him first. So we brought him in cleaned him up. That night someone broke into our house. He wanted everything, and he took Anna hostage. Ace was still here, and when he heard the commotion he got up. When he saw theat the thief had Anna, he lit into him and had him up against the wall in a sec without a scratch on him or Anna. He's been staying with us ever since."

Tea-" Wow.."

Tristan-" Yeah... I wonder how he's doing....."

Seconds turned into minutes, and then into hours. Finally the doctors emerged with bewildered looks on their faces, and muttering under their breath. Yami cautiously entered the room followed closely by Joey. One doctor still lingered, still writing down some data. As the two walked in a little further, the doctor walked out and said something Yami couldn't understand. Ace was laying on the bed with all sorts of devices hooked up to him, and a respirator and air mask covered his face. He was obviously out cold, but seemed to be doing a lot better. At least he was breathing easier. Seto was sitting in a chair filling out some paperwork, looking up at Ace from time to time and shaking his head.

Yami-" So how bad was it?"

Seto-" His rib cage was shattered, minor hemorrhaging, too many cuts and bruises to count... He was going into cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, and to put it simply a complete shut down. We did all we could, and just as we were about to call it quits, he began to stabilize....."

Joey-" So he's gonna make it?"

Seto-" The first 24 hours will tell. We've given him some pain killers, but the rest is up to him. Now I have some things to do down stairs. You're welcome to stay here."

With that Seto left the room, Yami and Joey alone._( And for any of you who are wondering this nor any other of my fics will be Yaoi!!!) _Joey sighed.

Joey-" Well I suppose that would be the reason he's Martial arts champ 15 years running...."

Just then Mokuba came in.

Mokuba-" Hey Yugi, Seto just told me what happened. But the problem is how did it happen?"

Yami was silent for a minute, then he sighed.

Yami-" Slyfer."

Mokuba-" So you're saying that a hologram did this to him?"

Joey-" So you're calling my buddy a liar?"

Mokuba-" No, I'm just saying that it's a little hard to believe. This guy is up at the top. And half of his duels he's walked away without a scratch, and now I hear he was almost in cardiac arrest."

Yami-" Look I know it's hard to believe, even I'm having a hard time believing it, but it's what happened. Slyfer stopped taking orders and began acting on it's own."

Mokuba-" Look, I'm sorry Yugi. I didn't mean to sound like a jerk. I need to go help Seto, so if you need anything just call. Your grandpa knows you're here, so don't worry about that."

Yami-" Thanks Mokuba."

Joey-" I've got to get going to Yuge. Serenity is home alone tonight and I told her that I would stay with her for a while. But I'll be back as soon as I can, k?"

Yami smiled a little.

Yami-" Sure. I'll see you then."

As soon as he was gone, Yugi appeared to view the damage himself.

Yugi-" Wow. I never though that Slyfer would go this far...."

Yami-" Do you think that this has anything to do with your dream?"

Yugi-" I don't know..."

Just then Yugi let out a big yawn. After all that had happened he was pretty tired, and before he knew it he was sitting down in a chair next to Ace's bed and slowly nodded off.

Later that night, Ace woke up with a splitting headache.

Ace, thinking-" Uhhhg.. I feel like crap, what happened?"

Then the events of the duel and up to the time when he passed out came flooding back to him, which only made his head hurt more. He rubbed his badinaged rib cage, and shook his head in a effort to stop the pounding, and in doing so caught sight of a small boy laying slumped over the night stand next to him. Much to his surprise he looked a lot like the Pharaoh, not to mention he wore the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. Well Pharaoh or not Ace knew from experience that sleeping like that would bee a good way to have one hell of a kink in your back the next morning. So he climbed out of bed and picked up the boy, and laid him down on the couch on the other side of the room. He chuckled slightly to him self before rolling over and going back to sleep.

Ace, thinking-" How do I get my self into these things?"

Ace: YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOTC: Yeah and? It's my story remember?

Ace: Yes......

Laura Chubb: runs in and steals Ace Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Now you're MY slave!!!

GOTC: --' Please Review while I steal back my main character.....

Laura Chubb: Muahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!


	7. Partners, My Friend

GOTC: YAY!!!!! THE LAST CHAP IS FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!

Ace: And I thought you'd be happy about it.........

GOTC: I am.....oh.....HEY!!!!!!!!!!

Ace: sigh And sarcasm is still a foreign language to you.......

GOTC: sob And after all I went through to save you from Laura Chubb......

Laura Chubb pops up from behind non-existent bush

Laura Chubb: I shall get you my precious, for GOTC does not own Yugioh, or LOTR!!!!

Ace: backs away And on that enlightening note....Let the show begin!!!!

_Chapter 7: Partners, My Friend._

The sky outside turned form a midnight blue to a pallid orange as the hours wore away. The first ray of morning sun fell on Yugi as he lay on a small couch in the room of his injured friend. As the light grew brighter, Yugi began to stir and realized he had fallen asleep. He cursed himself for dozing of as he got to his feet.

Yugi, thinking-" How'd I get over here anyway? Last I remember I was over by Ace...."

He cast a glance towards Ace laying on the hospital bed across the room. Asleep or unconscious, he couldn't tell. He let out a long sigh as he remembered why Ace was even here in the first place. How had he let things get so out of hand? But it was like Slyfer had a mind of its own.......

Yugi-" I'm so sorry I let this happen. Believe me if I would have known...I would have never accepted......

Ace, sleepily-" If we always knew where the paths we choose would take us, there would be no purpose to life. No hope. No reason to live."

Yugi jumped back in alarm.

Yugi-" I thought you were asleep!!!"

Ace-" yawn I've learned to stay half-awake. It's useful to. Never miss anything."

Just then a nurse came bustling into the room carrying a large tray.

Nurse-" Time for your medicine!"

Ace-" I'm not taking anymore of your painkillers! Last time they knocked me out for 6 hours!"

Nurse-" Don't worry. It's Castor Oil."

Ace-" sweat drop That's not much better...."

Nurse-" Take it or I'll give you an IV drip."

Ace opened his mouth to protest, but as he did the nurse shoved in a spoonful ful the Castor Oil. Ace swallowed it, and sputtered in disgust as the nurse left the room.

Ace-" Next time you come back bring some mouthwash!"

Yugi gawked. Could this be the same person he had dueled just the night before? He was so laid back, despite all he had been through....

Ace-" Hey you beat me last night didn't you?"

Yugi-" Well not really... I mean I had to or...'

Ace-" Did my life points reach zero before yours?"

Yugi-" Well, yeah.."

Ace-" Then according to Battle City rules, that means I need to give you my rarest card."

Yugi-" But Battle city is over, and besides I couldn't take your rarest card. Not after what I did to you...."

But Ace was already reaching for his jacket that lay next to his bed. Once he had it he pulled out a small stack of cards, and began to sort them.

Ace-" Well first off, since we used Duel Disks to duel with, we have to use Battle City rules. And you can to take my rarest card, but since I am a fusionist, you'll get a choice."

Yugi-" What do you mean?"

Ace-" Well....see you'll get a choice of cards, because if you choose my fusion cards, then I become your dueling partner. You'd duel like normal,'cept when you play me, I can act on my own. On the other hand, if you like to duel alone, then you can have these."

With that, Ace pulled out the five cards of Exodia the Forbidden One. But in the other hand, he held considerably more. He held 4 magic cards, 7 dragons, his fusion card, and two others that were shrouded in shadow and mystery.

Yugi-" I thought I was only supposed to get your rarest card."

Ace-" Well, you get the package deal. Oh and you may want to talk to the Pharaoh about this too. After all, you to do share a deck."

Yami, who had appeared in his spirit form to listen to the conversation, was just as surprised as his hiarki at his noticed presence. But through the awkward tension, the two were already in perfect agreement, and Yugi took the fusion cards from Ace's hand, and then held out his own.

Yugi-" Partners my friend."

Just then Joey, Tristan, and Tea came bursting in through the door, panting heavily.

Tea-" Mokuba just filled us in about the whole fusionist thing."

Joey-" So are ya gonna help Yugi kick some butt?"

Yugi and Ace looked at each other as a smile spread across Ace's face. Not a big toothy grin, but the smile of someone who hadn't truly smiled in a long time.

J ,T,&T-" Yeah! Alright! Welcome to the team!"

And so starts the beginning of a friendship that would truly test their bonds. But now with a new friend they could trust beside them, they would all face that test together.

Ace: does a jig It's over, it's over!!!!

GOTC:sweat drop I thought you would be exited...

Ace: I am........Darnit!!!!

GOTC: Gotcha!

Laura Chubb leaps from hiding spot and grabs Ace

Laura Chubb: And now I've gotcha! Hahahahahaha!!!

GOTC: HEY!!!!! HE'S MY MAIN CHARACTER!!!! AND BESIDES I NEED HIM FOR THE NEXT STORY!!!!

Laura Chubb: eyes sparkle REALLY?!?!?!

GOTC: Ummm yeah...... hides Ace Please review, and keep your eyes peeled for Rise of the Guardian 2: Forbidden Memories!

Laura Chubb: YAY!!!!!


End file.
